A survey released Tuesday showed that many women are unaware
that the human papillomavirus is the main cause of cervical
cancer, and that birth control pills offer no protection against
it. HPV, linked with about 95 percent of cases of cervical
cancer, is one of the most common worldwide causes of sexually
transmitted disease.

Fewer than one-third of the 1,000 women questioned during 15
months at a London clinic had ever heard of HPV. Less than half
knew it was linked to cervical cancer. Those who knew tended to
be older women who had had an abnormal cervical smear. Average
age of the women surveyed was 30.

Almost all women with cervical cancer have HPV, but studies
have shown that only a small percentage of women with HPV develop
cervical cancer. HPV also causes genital warts, the most easily
recognized sign of HPV infection. Only one-third of the women
surveyed knew that genital warts did not cause cervical cancer.

"Public education is urgently needed so that women
participating in cervical cancer screening are fully informed
about the meaning of their results," Waller noted.

This article was provided by CDC National Prevention Information Network. It is a part of the publication CDC HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update.
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